How do I install the Defender Quickscan skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add taracodlabs/defender-quickscan in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

What does the Defender Quickscan skill do?

Windows Defender: scans, threat history, signatures (PowerShell) It is listed under Security on SkillMD.

Is Defender Quickscan safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Capability flags: docs only. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Defender Quickscan?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Defender Quickscan free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free. This skill is licensed under Apache-2.

Who published Defender Quickscan?

taracodlabs (@taracodlabs) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Defender Quickscan by taracodlabs — Agent Skill

Name: Defender Quickscan
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: taracodlabs

File contents

Defender Quick Scan

Trigger Windows Defender antivirus scans, inspect threat history, update virus definitions, and check real-time protection status — all via PowerShell cmdlets.

When to Use

User wants to run a quick or full antivirus scan
User asks about recent threats detected by Defender
User wants to check if real-time protection is enabled
User needs to update virus/malware signatures
User wants to know the current Defender protection status

How to Use

Check Windows Defender status

Get-MpComputerStatus | Select-Object AMServiceEnabled, AntispywareEnabled,
  AntivirusEnabled, RealTimeProtectionEnabled,
  AntispywareSignatureAge, AntivirusSignatureAge, QuickScanAge

Run a quick or full scan

Start-MpScan -ScanType QuickScan   # fast scan of likely threat locations
Start-MpScan -ScanType FullScan    # thorough scan of all files (30-60 min)

Scan a specific file or folder

Start-MpScan -ScanType CustomScan -ScanPath "C:\Users\<you>\Downloads"

Update virus definitions

Update-MpSignature

View threat detection history

Get-MpThreatDetection | Select-Object ThreatID, ActionSuccess,
  DetectionSourceTypeID, Resources, InitialDetectionTime |
  Sort-Object InitialDetectionTime -Descending |
  Select-Object -First 10

View active threats

Get-MpThreat | Select-Object ThreatID, ThreatName, SeverityID,
  CategoryID, IsActive, Resources

Remove a detected threat

Remove-MpThreat -ThreatID 12345

Check exclusion list

(Get-MpPreference).ExclusionPath
(Get-MpPreference).ExclusionExtension

Add a scan exclusion (path)

Add-MpPreference -ExclusionPath "C:\DevTools\node_modules"

Examples

"Scan my Downloads folder for threats" → Start-MpScan -ScanType CustomScan -ScanPath "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads" — Defender scans the folder and logs any detections.

"Are my virus definitions up to date?" → Get-MpComputerStatus | Select-Object AntivirusSignatureAge, AntivirusSignatureLastUpdated — signature age of 0 means updated today.

"Show me the last 5 threats Defender found" → Get-MpThreatDetection | Sort-Object InitialDetectionTime -Descending | Select-Object -First 5

Cautions

Full scans can take 30-60 minutes and consume significant CPU/IO — warn the user before running
Start-MpScan requires Windows Defender to be the active antivirus — third-party AV may disable these cmdlets
Removing a threat with Remove-MpThreat is permanent; confirm with the user before executing
Adding exclusions reduces protection coverage — only exclude paths you're certain are safe

---name: defender-quickscandescription: Windows Defender: scans, threat history, signatures (PowerShell)license: Apache-2.0--- # Defender Quick Scan Trigger Windows Defender antivirus scans, inspect threat history, update virus definitions, and check real-time protection status — all via PowerShell cmdlets. ## When to Use - User wants to run a quick or full antivirus scan - User asks about recent threats detected by Defender - User wants to check if real-time protection is enabled - User needs to update virus/malware signatures - User wants to know the current Defender protection status ## How to Use ### Check Windows Defender status ```powershell Get-MpComputerStatus | Select-Object AMServiceEnabled, AntispywareEnabled, AntivirusEnabled, RealTimeProtectionEnabled, AntispywareSignatureAge, AntivirusSignatureAge, QuickScanAge ``` ### Run a quick or full scan ```powershell Start-MpScan -ScanType QuickScan # fast scan of likely threat locations Start-MpScan -ScanType FullScan # thorough scan of all files (30-60 min) ``` ### Scan a specific file or folder ```powershell Start-MpScan -ScanType CustomScan -ScanPath "C:\Users\<you>\Downloads" ``` ### Update virus definitions ```powershell Update-MpSignature ``` ### View threat detection history ```powershell Get-MpThreatDetection | Select-Object ThreatID, ActionSuccess, DetectionSourceTypeID, Resources, InitialDetectionTime | Sort-Object InitialDetectionTime -Descending | Select-Object -First 10 ``` ### View active threats ```powershell Get-MpThreat | Select-Object ThreatID, ThreatName, SeverityID, CategoryID, IsActive, Resources ``` ### Remove a detected threat ```powershell Remove-MpThreat -ThreatID 12345 ``` ### Check exclusion list ```powershell (Get-MpPreference).ExclusionPath (Get-MpPreference).ExclusionExtension ``` ### Add a scan exclusion (path) ```powershell Add-MpPreference -ExclusionPath "C:\DevTools\node_modules" ``` ## Examples **"Scan my Downloads folder for threats"** → `Start-MpScan -ScanType CustomScan -ScanPath "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads"` — Defender scans the folder and logs any detections. **"Are my virus definitions up to date?"** → `Get-MpComputerStatus | Select-Object AntivirusSignatureAge, AntivirusSignatureLastUpdated` — signature age of 0 means updated today. **"Show me the last 5 threats Defender found"** → `Get-MpThreatDetection | Sort-Object InitialDetectionTime -Descending | Select-Object -First 5` ## Cautions - Full scans can take 30-60 minutes and consume significant CPU/IO — warn the user before running - `Start-MpScan` requires Windows Defender to be the active antivirus — third-party AV may disable these cmdlets - Removing a threat with `Remove-MpThreat` is permanent; confirm with the user before executing - Adding exclusions reduces protection coverage — only exclude paths you're certain are safe

Frequently asked questions

Defender Quickscan